Kings Cross Central - construction of the northen concourse for King's Cross Station in February 2011

Originally opened in 1852, King’s Cross is a key station in London’s railway network and its proximity to the St. Pancras mainline station makes it one of Britain’s biggest transport hubs. The solidly built station was unfortunately known to be dingy and dark, so one of the goals of the renovation was to make it feel more inviting and uplifting. The three-part project involved the renovation of the train sheds and surrounding support buildings, as well as a detailed restoration of historic buildings and the classic Victorian facade.

The new Western Concourse opens the station up, improves passenger circulation and amenities, and creates a better connection with the connecting metro station. Designed by Arup, the semi-circular concourse rises 20 m in height and spans the full 150m-length of the existing Western Range building by cleverly incorporating the restored brickwork and masonry features of the historic structure. The juxtaposition of the new and the old references the past while surging on into the future. The new vaulted canopy not only brings critical natural daylight into the space, but also provides new retail, support and administrative facilities necessary for the future of London’s rail.

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3 Comments

lverkaAugust 19, 2011 at 10:42 am

hideous – even worse than Pei’s pyramids in the courtyard of the Louvre. Why not celebrate the existing, historic edifice instead of trying to obscure it with a massive latticework of shiny white tubes? Ghastly – tear it down.

Paul_ReissAugust 18, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Very cool. Looks like they’re grabbing some inspiration from the zeilgalerie in Frankfurt.